ATV & UTV Tire Reviews

We know the best tire for your ATV is crucial to the enjoyment of the sport. This is, however, what some get hung up on, as there are so many different tires to choose from. Choosing a tire can be tricky and pricing seems to be all over the board. The key is to know what type of riding and terrain you’ll spend the majority of your time in. You’ll also need to consider the type of machine you have and what will allow this ride to perform at its best without putting the mechanical components in jeopardy.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll not only go over what types of tires are available, but we’ll list them in their perspective terrain sections. This way, if you are a Cliff’s Notes kind of person, you can simply skip to the riding you do and press on from there. This guide might not include every tire on the market, but it will be directional enough to get you headed on the path to success when shopping for new kicks for your machine.

Some things to take note on is the weight of your ATV, the overall size or width of the machine as well as the trail width you’ll most likely spend the most amount of time on. The general size of tire you need with the stock suspension settings to remain comfortable to ride is also a consideration. This will keep you in the zone of performance and out of the garage or toolbox. Remember that heavier rotating mass eats away at performance and leverages once capable ATV steering and suspension parts to their breaking point.

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Another item to keep in mind is the rim you’ll be mounting the tire on as well as the overall design of the tire. Having a center lug or mass of rubber that crosses the centerline of the tire is important to a smooth ride on harder terrain. Finally, picking a tire with a good bead saver is key to keeping the tire on the rim when the rocks reach out to test it.

Trail or All Terrain ATV Tires

Our first terrain of choice will be general trail riding. This is where a good “AT or All Terrain” tire will come in handy. When talking about Trail riding, we have to consider a large spectrum of tire versatility. Most trails will likely have a variety of loose rocks, roots, light mud, hard pack and possibly even sand that will challenge your tires. There’s most likely to be off camber dirt banks or rutted hill climbs that also challenge the tread as well, so these tires need to be good at everything. With that said, you need a tire that can handle all of these requirements carefully and one that performs with consistent reliability.

Trail/All Terrain: Maxxis Tires Bighorn 2.0

If you’re looking for the King of All Terrain, you’ll find no other tire known better for this type of riding than the Maxxis BigHorn line of tires. The original Bighorn tire has won more ATV racing events than any other tire made… period. It wasn’t until the second generation of Big Horn, Bighorn 2.0, came to be that we had found a substitute for the OG. The Big Horn 2.0 is a slim-line lighter version with gently wider spaced lugs and radial construction. According to Maxxis, “Bighorn 2.0 provides better shock absorption, allowing for a smoother ride.” The non-directional pattern provides predictable cornering and reaches over roots and rocks for more climbing confidence. The Bighorn 2.0 is a 6-ply rated tire, with the same durability that we’ve grown to expect from Bighorn tires.

Here is a range of ATV tire sizes available for the Maxxis BigHorn 2.0:

Tire Sizes: 28×11-14; 28×9-14; 28×10-12; 26×11-14; 26×9-14; 26×11-12; 26×9-12; 25×10-12; 25×8-12; 24×8-12; 24×10-11; 23×10-12; 23×8-12

Tread Ply: 6-ply – Max Tread Depth: 1”

Trail/All Terrain: ITP Baja Cross

ITP tires have also been available for ATV for many years. The company is continually building the types of tread and designs that are not only functional but specifically designed for all terrain types. The Baja Cross was undoubtedly inspired by racers traveling south of the border. The ITP Baja Cross design has a race-proven heritage and proven to handle the rough stuff. Using ITP’s extended life tire compound, you can also expect to get many miles from these shoes. This tire’s made with a tough 8-ply construction for sidewall performance that results in less pinch flats from a fast pace in sharp rocks. The deep rim bead saver also makes this a beast of a tire.

Here are some tires sizes to consider:

Tire Sizes: 28×10-14; 26×11-14; 2610-14; 26×11-12; 26×9-12; 25×10-12; 25×8-12

Tread Ply: 8-ply Radial – Max Tread Depth: 1”

Trail/All Terrain: Sedona Tire Mud Rebel RT

Sedona Tire offers an ATV tire that may carry the name of muddy tires, but it doesn’t mean that it’s not a great all-terrain tire for your machine. This all-terrain light weight tire is plenty capable of mastering many different types of trail systems. The lugs on the Mud Rebel are just over 1-1/8^th inch tall, which when combined with the semi-aggressive lug pattern, will provide good digging and forward traction.

Tire Sizes: 25x8R-12, 25x10R-12, 26x9R-12, 26x10R-12, 26x11R-12, 26x9R-14, 26x11R-14

Tread Ply: 6-ply – Max Tread Depth: 1-1/8th”

Trail/All Terrain: STI Tire and Wheel Out & Back AT

If you’re like most of the ATV owning public, you’ll ride no matter the conditions, the location or the terrain. For those guys and gals, the STI Out & Back AT is a great choice to get you into and out of any trail. The V-pattern center lugs will give you great hardpack smoothness and ample digging traction in wetter conditions. Providing the extra traction for the 6-ply carcass is the wrap around lug for that deeper pit of trail that requires it. The ¾-inch deep lugs are dimpled to provide grip by allowing the tire flexibility, and the bead saver protects your wheel in the process.

Tire Sizes: 25x8x12, 25x10x12

Tire Ply: 6-ply ruggedness

Mud Tires

If you’re thinking about mud riding, you might envision your ATV raging through the kind of slop that devours the average machine. You’ll want a tire that adds your performance requirements to your rig for the easy to worst capability in most situations. It can be a real challenge to get an ATV tire that legitimately cleans out well for the next bite of wet earth.  The well-spaced lugs traditionally laid out in what’s known as a chevron pattern on most mud tires, will give you the clean out you desire so your tire doesn’t plug up and become useless. These mud-chewing shoes for your ATV also have to have a decent tread “cross over lug” in the center of the tire. This means the trip out of the wilderness to the truck will not beat you to death jumping from lug to lug. Always keep in mind when shopping for your ATV that any large lug tire is going to be a bit heavier than stock and this needs to be considered because the performance of your machine could suffer. In this section, we’ll go from the mud slugger to the mud bug tire designs.

Mud: SuperATV.com Terminator

SuperATV.com developed this monster mud mashing tire a few years back. If you’re into throwing big, muddy biscuits of wetland at your buddies while riding, this might be the tire for you. The SuperATV.com Terminator tire is intimidating in appearance as it has massive two-inch tall lugs that drape over the sidewall for that extra bite. These deep lugs also provide plenty of forward grip in dry conditions and cleanout well in the muddy trails when the forecast turns from good to ugly. If you ride in a lot of mud and just want to get in and get out, this tire is surely a consideration.

Tire Sizes: 26.5×10-14, 28×10-12, 28×10-14, 28×12-14, 29.5×10-12, 29.5×10-14, 29.5×12-14

Tread Ply: 6-ply – Max Tread Depth: 2.0”

Mud: Maxxis Tires “Zilla”

Maxxis Tires has been in the market of mud riding for as long as I can remember and the “Zilla” tire is to some considered the “OG” of the group. This tire line has many different siblings, but as we scale the lug size back a little, this mud focused tread is worth the look and investment. This slightly less aggressive tire boasts a lighter tread pattern for quicker acceleration – that means you can turn up the throttle volume and clean it out easily. The Zilla’s tread pattern is also closer together and its semi-continuous center lug keeps the bumps of the true mud tire a little smoother. However, if light to moderate mud is your game then this is a solid choice.

Tire Sizes: 24×8-11, 23×8-12, 24×8-12, 25×8-12, 26×9-12, 27×9-12, 28×10-12, 26×9-14, 27×10-14, 28×9-14, 30×9-14 Rear Sizes: 22×10-9, 25×11-9, 22×11-10 25×11-10, 24×10-11, 23×10-12, 25×10-12, 26×11-12, 27×11-12, 28×12-12, 26×11-14, 27×12-14, 28×11-14

Tread Ply: 6-ply – Max Tread Depth: 1”

Mud: ITP Mayhem

When you think of terrorizing the big bog after a good rain, you might consider the tire with Mayhem as its name as well as its DNA. Using a tread depth of one-inch, this tire is great for the trail rider who loves to play in the rain and mud. It also works well for those in damper climates that experience muddy conditions more often. ITP knew that utilizing a lighter weight carcass or shell of a tire also makes it a smoother riding tire as well as less stressful on the ATV it is mounted to. In the realm of mud mockery, an ATV with a tire named Mayhem is sure to get a performance advantage. The side lugs on the edge of the sidewall also provide extra bite in the deeper, single line troughs of mud bogs.

Tire Sizes: 24×8-12, 24×10-12, 25×8-12, 25×10-12, 26×9-12, 26×11-12

Tread Ply: 6-ply – Max Tread Depth: 1”

Rock and Crawl Tires

If you happen to brave the rocks, you want to look closely at tires that are specifically built to handle the grip and flexibility needed to get the ride going smoothly. Rock crawling tires typically come in many varieties like the terrain they encounter on the off-road. This section of tire needs compounds that allow the meat of the tread to somewhat adhere to the slickest rocks for maximum traction. Stepping up onto or down across a steep ledge or encountering plentiful sharp-edged rocks at a snail’s pace is the general use. This tire also needs to be tough with many looking for a good bead saver or deep bead set on the sidewall to protect the air that is inflating the tread. Here’s what we found to be a great fit for your rocky ATV riding needs.

Rock: STI Tire and Wheel Rocktane XD

STI Tire and Wheel has been on the move for a decade and is guided by tire veterans with years of tire building expertise. If you’re looking for a tire to help that ATV rule the roost STI is a good place to start. Our choice for this brand in the rocks would be the Rocktane XD due to its extreme duty fat lugged carcass. Not only does this tread provide a comfortable ride, but the wide footprint and what STI calls their “Rocwall” sidewall design makes this shoe tough. Although the design is all-terrain capable, this set-up would be great in those rocky mountain highs!

Tire Sizes: 25x8Rx12, 25x10Rx12, 26x9Rx12, 26x11Rx12, 26x9Rx14, 26x11Rx14, 27x9Rx14, 27x11Rx14

Tire Ply: 8-ply rated radial tire

Rock: Sedona Tire Rock-a-billy

Utilizing its “rock ejectors” between tread, the massive 8-ply puncture resistant radial tire is built to conquer hard pack and rock along with being a well-mannered trail tire. One thing that you might overlook when buying a rock specific tire is the integrated rim guard. This is here to keep rocky edges from separating the tire from the rim. Sedona claims this tire will match the high horse-power and high-speed requirements of today’s big bore ATV. This tire is only offered in the 26-inch and 28-inch sizes becoming of the large ATV realm, but it is a good choice for the job.

Tire Sizes: 26x9Rx12, 26x11Rx12, 28x10Rx14

Tire Ply: 8-ply tough as nails

Rock: ITP Black Water Evolution

Starting with the 8-ply construction you have a radial tire that should by all means take everything from a sharp rock to a grenade to the tread and keep moving. The tread pattern on the Blackwater Evolution seems somewhat jumbled at first glance, but upon closer inspection we see that the tread gives way to a center tread line that makes hard trail riding easy. Whether it’s boulder climbing or soft sandy cornering, the Blackwater Evolution is built to handle it exceptionally well. The sidewall armor on this tire will keep unsuspected punctures away, ensuring an awesome day in the rocks.

Tire Sizes: 28×11-14; 28×10-14; 28×9-14; 28×10-12; 27×11-14; 27×9-14; 27×11-12; 27×9-12; 26×11-12; 26×9-12; 25×11-12; 25×9-12

Tread Ply: 8-ply – Max Tread Depth: 1”

Rock: GBC Tires Kanati Mongrel

Recently added to the mix of Kanati Mongrel tires is the light-weight, 10-ply construction that is impermeable under the most grueling circumstances. GBC has improved the sidewall as well for puncture resistance, while re-engineering the carcass of these tires to improve durability and handling. Add Kanati Mongrel to any of the newest higher horse-power UTV’s on the market and chew up the trails running the rocks, and when you get into the flat out hard pack you can run with the big dogs! The Kanati Mongrel also has an impressive 87 mph speed rating, 1000 lb. load rating and is DOT approved.

Tire Sizes: 28×10-15, 28×10-14, 27×11-14, 27×9-14, 27×11-12, 27×9-12, 26×10-12

Tire Ply: 8 or 10 PLY – Max Tread Depth: 1”

Rock: EFX Tires Moto-MTC

Built on 6-ply construction and up to 1.25-inches of overall tread depth, the EFX Moto MTC is considered to be a great all around, rocky terrain tire. Climbing over dry or slick rocks and grabbing at root filled trails is this tire’s intended purpose but look for the versatility to grow into even more terrain if you need it to. These rock crawling tires are terrain developed to be a go to for anyone who loves to change things up from time to time. Lower the air pressures a little and you have a mountain climber.

Tire Sizes: 26×9-12, 26×11-12, 26×9-14, 26×11-14, 28×10-14,

Tire Ply: 6-ply Bias – Max Tread Depth: 1.25”